Even though everyone was in bed just after 1 AM, Ken Thomas, the owner of The Cove, found himself wide-awake at 8 AM. He was usually up much earlier on school days, so staying in bed until eight that morning made him feel refreshed.
The owner of The Cove went out to retrieve his morning newspaper and found the air to be brisk. Of course, it was December in central Texas, close to the hill country, so he wasn't surprised at the much cooler air that morning. Chief met him as he walked back into the home.
Chief got her ear scratches she loved so much and then headed back up the stairs. Mr. Ken figured she would go to Matthew's room, as that's where she normally stayed. But that morning, Chief went into Collin's guest bedroom and lay down beside the teen's bed. She missed the teen, as he was her first 'boy' and wanted to spend time with him.
The boys started coming down for breakfast around 9:30. When Matthew came down and Chief wasn't with him 'dad' Ken was surprised. The man asked the youngster where she was and none of the boys had a clue. It wasn't until 30 minutes later that the older teen and Chief arrived in the Kitchen Nook.
"Look who I found at the side of my bed when I woke up," smiled Collin, as he scratched behind the resident pet's ears.
"I wonder why she did that?" asked a confused Matthew.
"My bet is Chief missed Collin. He was her first 'boy', by the way, who took care of her, fed her and played with her. My bet is she wanted to spend some time with him," answered 'dad' Ken. "Didn't you girl?"
"Woof, woof, woof," barked out Chief, who had a doggie smile on her face. She then went over to Collin and gave him a few doggie kisses.
As the Covers ate, 'dad' Ken talked to his 'boys'. He reminded them that instead of hamburgers and hot dogs today, he wanted their friends to eat the leftovers. He explained he would reheat all the leftover brisket, barbeque, pulled pork, pulled chicken and ranch style beans and set out the potato salad, coleslaw, pickles and rolls.
The boys were happy their friends would get the chance to eat more of that great barbeque food from the other night, especially if they didn't come to the Holiday Party. The boys finished their breakfast tacos and then headed upstairs to take their showers.
When the boys were gone, Mr. Ken told Collin he was going to call Uncle Andy and tell him he wasn't coming home until Tuesday. The teen's Big Bro told the teen he needed some downtime and some fun in his life right now. Collin started to protest, but Mr. Ken told him after their talk yesterday, he definitely needed to be with family, and his 'brothers'.
Collin was taken by surprise at what his Big Brother wanted to do for him, and he began to cry. Chief got to the teen first, got up on her hind legs and began licking the tears away. When Mr. Ken got there, he pulled the teenager up into his arms and hugged him tight.
"Collin ... you NEED to be around people who love you and you love. College is a stressful life, especially, for someone such as you who had experienced so much, and had to deal with it almost all by yourself. You NEED this time away from the stress that you'll get from having to deal with Grammy when you get home.
"My little brother ... I want you to have fun today with your little 'brothers'. They will love you for it. I also want you to join us on Monday as we go to Six Flags Fiesta Texas. You definitely need this to help you unwind from your ordeal at college.
"Grammy will just have to accept it that you won't be home until Tuesday. Then, you are to return here late Friday evening and go with us on Saturday to visit my amusement parks. You need this Collin. We ARE your 'family' ... just as much as Grammy is. Please, Collin ... let me do this for you," calmly and firmly stated Big Bro Ken.
Collin thanked his Big Bro for taking care of him. The teen told the man he was going to go get his shower and would be down soon. As the teen started to walk away, Mr. Ken pulled him back into a hug and told him he loved him. Tears came to the teenager's eyes and he thanked him for what he was doing for him.
Mr. Ken went to his Study and closed the door. He didn't want prying ears listening in to what he was going to say to Uncle Andy. The owner of The Cove dialed the number and it was picked up after four rings.
"Good morning, Ken, my bet is you are calling in regards to Collin. Am I right?" was how the teens 'uncle' answered the phone.
"Yes, Andy ... it's Collin... I'd say he is close to having a mental health issue," replied a very concerned Ken Thomas.
"Andy ... he broke down and cried and told me about school and the things he's done. Our boy ... he's frustrated, hurt and angry about his life and how ... how Grammy treated him after she got him back to Wilkinson. Collin thought he could handle it all, but ... what he mainly told me is that he has no family to fall back on.
"Andy ... Collin needs time to rest and relax. He's gotten himself all wound up over school, Grammy, and what those men did to his mom and dad and then to him. He's angry over many things, and he has no one to call on to help him. Andy ... we may have failed our boy.
"What do you want to do, Ken?" asked Uncle Andy.
"Collin needs a vacation and he'll get one when he travels with me at the end of the week. But, I think he needs some fun time and now that he has five younger 'brothers'. This is a perfect time for him to let his hair down.
"I want him to stay with me until Tuesday. He'll rest and relax today playing with his 'brothers'. And, then on Monday, he'll go with me and the boys and their friends to Six Flags. I'll send him on his way home by noon Tuesday.
"Andy ... he told me ... he wished the two of us could go away like we did that first Christmas. He even told me about what he enjoyed about the time just he and I had together. He told me ... that was the most fun he had since he turned twelve. Twelve, Andy, twelve. He has to be really hurting inside to ask me to recreate that memorable fun time in his life.
"If you want, I'll talk to Grammy. She needs to know her grandson has to have a life and not be saddled into thinking he has to take care of her. He's 18 for God's sake, Andy, NOT 48," finished a frustrated, and somewhat angry, Ken Thomas.
By the end of the conversation, Uncle Andy told Ken he would tell Victoria what they intended to tell her. The man, who was Collin's dad's lawyer, said he could handle her and if she gets up in a tiff he'll threaten to send her to an old folk's home. The men had a good laugh over that.
The boys came down after they had taken their showers, but 'dad' Ken told them they needed to 'dry' off the dampness on their bodies before going out into the brisk cool air. They all moaned at hearing that, but Robert told their 'dad' was only looking out for them. The teen suggested they play a few hands of cards. They all headed off to play some UNO.
When Collin came down, he looked for his Big Bro. Mr. Ken pulled him aside into his Study to tell him what he and Uncle Andy had decided. The college freshman was relieved that he didn't have to go home right away. The teen hugged his Big Bro for all he was worth and came away with a few tears rolling down his cheek but a smile on his face.
Collin went looking for his 'brothers'. When he found them and told them he was staying and would go to Six Flags with them they all yelled for joy. The boys jumped around and forgot about their card game. The younger Cover boys wanted to talk to their older 'brother'.
It was close to twelve noon when all the Cover boys went outside. The younger boys were glad Mr. Ken made them wait to dry off from their shower as they found it quite cool outside. It may not have been as brisk as it was at 8 AM, when Mr. Ken went out to get his morning newspaper, but it was still cool enough they needed a light jacket.
When the Cover's friends arrived, they all had jackets on and some even had a ball cap on their heads. They were surprised Collin was there and they all had to shake his hand and talk to him about college. They were ecstatic that he was going with them on Monday.
The boys shared the ramps as they always did. There were only four ramps for them to use and when there were 40 boys trying to use them they didn't' get much skating time. They did use their downtime to talk to Collin some more.
About 1 PM, another teenager arrived at The Cove. Since, he was in the database, the gate guard left him into the estate. The older teen drove down to the parking corral. As he arrived he couldn't help but hear the skateboard noises coming from the ramps.
"Look what the dog dragged in!" called out Collin, as Ryan got out of his car.
"Yea, and look at that big pile of shit it made," laughed Ryan
The two teens ran to one another and hugged like they hadn't seen each other in years. The forty, or so, boys looked on as the two best friends greeted one another. They also had big smiles on their faces at their exchange.
"How'd you know I was here?" asked Collin.
"Our 'mom' was at the party last night, and she told me she saw you there and talked to you. You could have called me, you know," teased Ryan.
"Yea, yea, I didn't get here until a couple of hours before the Party. Hey, have you met all of your new 'brothers'?" asked Collin.
Ryan said he hadn't, so Collin took him over and introduced him to Kevin, Kyle and Matthew. Each of the boys told the older teen something about themselves and they all shook hands. The three younger boys went back to their friends.
The two college teens were best friends. They walked to the side and used their time to get caught up on what was happening to them in school. They talked about girls, sex, drinking, drugs, sex, girls and more drinking. They laughed over all of it and how it affected them and their grades. They had an opinion on everything.
"So, when are you going back? Tonight?" asked Ryan.
"Well, I was supposed to be on my way home right now, but ... our Big Brother ... he intervened on my behalf and told Uncle Andy to tell Grammy, I was staying here until after the trip to Six Flags tomorrow," answered Collin.
"What trip to Six Flags? I never heard of a trip to Six Flags," complained the ex-Beach Master.
"Oh, yea ... our Big Bro ... he's taking all of our 'brothers' to Six Flags Fiesta Texas tomorrow. The five of them and ALL ... of their friends," laughed Collin.
"What do you mean by ALL?" asked Ryan.
"You see all of those boys riding the ramps over there? Each and every one of them ... and maybe a few more are all going to Six Flags tomorrow. You need to come around here more often my 'brother'. That way you might get yourself an invitation. Did you know our Big Bro took all of them to SeaWorld for their Howl-O-Scream?
"Did you also know that some scumbags ... they almost kidnapped our 'brothers' when they were out Trick-or-Treating? Lucky for them Gene and George were assigned as their security that night. The men did get Kevin and Kyle to their van, but the twin security guards we had to deal with took them down fast and hard.
"There's a lot more to what happened with that, but that is what the end result was. Our Big Bro has a new son, and four foster sons who are in just as much need as I was when I arrived four years ago, Ryan," revealed Collin.
"Are ... are you telling me those three ... my new 'brothers' had happen to them that happened to you?" asked a very surprised Ryan.
"Only two of them, Ry. And, not as bad as I was. At least they didn't try to kill them," replied Collin.
"So ... do you think if we go in and talk to our Bro we can convince him into letting me tag along tomorrow, too?" asked a hopeful Ryan.
"We'll never know until we ask him," replied Collin, as he started to walk towards the Foyer Door. Ryan quickly followed.
"That guy, Ryan, is he one of our older 'brothers', too?" asked a somewhat confused Matthew.
"Yea," replied Charles, "he was the Beach Master, before Todd took over."
"Yea, he knew dad before any of us did. He took pictures and videos of them building The Cove. He had complete access. He was there the day they met Chief and he took care of her when she was beaten by a security guard," added Robert.
"I heard he had his own bedroom and his friends used to come over and have swim parties and they even stayed over," spoke up Charles.
"Yea, he did," said Eric. "I used to come over here after I met Collin at the Thanksgiving Dinner Party Mr. Ken threw. It was the day after that those men ... they tried to kill Collin, but Mr. Ken was the one who was shot. After that, Collin and Ryan called me their little 'brother', and Mr. Ken called them his little 'brothers'. They also began calling Mr. Ken their Big Bro."
"Then, you saw a lot of things, being here all the time," stated Matthew as a question.
"No, not really ... I came over when there was something going on or my big 'brothers' asked me over. I went on a few trips with Collin and Mr. Ken and they were a lot of fun, too," added Eric.
"He took me out to California when he was looking at amusement parks. He took us to Disneyland, and down to San Diego where we met the California boys. That was also the trip where I rode my first roller coaster. We had a great time out there, too.
"Mr. Ken also took Robert and me on a Disney Cruise. That was so much fun. I wonder where Mr. Ken is taking us this Spring Break," Eric wondered out loud.
"I just want to know where he's taking us on our one-on-one trip." said Kyle.
"Well, it won't be a one-on-one trip if we both go," teased Kevin. Everyone laughed at what Kevin said.
"I wonder where he'd take me?" asked Matthew.
"Guys, if you want to take your trip with 'dad', then you need to get on the computer and figure out a place to go," offered Charles.
"Is that what you did?" asked Matthew.
"Well, I did that after Mr. Dan gave me a hint at where to go," smiled Charles.
"Then, when I see Mr. Dan tomorrow I'll ask him to help me figure out a place 'dad' can take me," spoke up Matthew.
"Yea, that's a good idea, Matthew. Maybe he can help us too," said Kevin.
"Bro ...," hesitantly called out Collin, as he and Ryan went to Mr. Ken's Study.
"What can I help you with, boys, err teenagers?" replied Mr. Ken.
The college freshmen told him what they wanted and Mr. Ken told them he needed to call Mr. Chris to see if he could round up a few more tickets for tomorrow. They waited while he called Chris Dominions.
As the day moved along, the boys said they were hungry. Robert told them they didn't have hamburgers and hot dogs for them, that day. And he let it hang out there like that. The other Cover boys smiled knowing what their teen older 'brother' was hinting at.
"What ... you didn't buy any hamburgers and hot dogs for us?" asked Chuck, the bottomless pit when it came to eating.
That caused some of the other boys to start talking amongst themselves about there not being any hamburgers or hot dogs. The Cover's friends had gotten so used to their having burgers and hot dogs to eat, that it came as a complete surprise to them. They asked if there were any sodas. The Cover boys all smiled.
It was then that Mr. Ken, Collin and Ryan came out to the ramps.
"Hello, guys," called out Mr. Ken. All the boys said "Hi" back to him.
"Boys ... you all know I had two Holiday Parties this weekend. Most of you were at the one Friday night. (Some laughs) Well, after the party was over, the caterer ... she left me some, well a lot, of the remaining foods
"With us going to Six Flags tomorrow (A loud yell of appreciation came from the boys.) I now have more brisket, barbeque, pulled pork and chicken, ranch style beans, potato salad, and coleslaw than we can eat. Sooooo, I thought that maybe you'd all enjoy helping us eat the leftovers," finished Mr. Ken.
The boys all yelled they would help him eat up the leftovers. Mr. Ken told to boys to go swimming and he'd have it all ready to go when they were finished swimming. Mr. Ken did ask his boys to get the sodas on ice and the paper plates and accessories out and bring them to the Kitchen Nook.
The rest of the boys heard Mr. Ken's request, so they helped gather up the stuff and take it inside to the Nook before they all headed down to swim. Collin and Ryan just watched as the well-oiled machine of boys took care of getting what Mr. Ken asked his 'boys' to do.
"You're swimming with us aren't you Collin?" asked Matthew.
"Yep, I need to go get my swimsuit out of the dryer and go put it on," replied Collin.
"You can change with us," added Matthew,
"No, I can't. Adults shouldn't change with boys much younger than they, Matthew. I'll go get my suit, go to my room, change and come right back," said Collin, as he ruffled the youngsters hair.
Ryan followed Collin as he went to get his swimsuit.
"So, Bro gave you the talk too, I see," laughed Ryan.
"The talk?" asked a surprised Collin.
"Yea, when I had my last swim here, Bro told me that we couldn't skinny dip as we used to. He told me I was now an adult and adults don't show their 'equipment' or something like that to younger boys.
"Our 'brothers' were looking forward to doing that, but Bro told them the Rules for adults. We all had a good cry that I was now an adult and had to start acting like one. Real intense, for sure," explained Ryan.
Russell and Jordan were waiting on the boys. When Russell saw Collin and Ryan enter the pool area he went over to them. Russell was now a senior and knew the two older Cover teens from the high school. Jordan knew who they were, but he was in eighth grade at the time Collin went to high school, there.
The four teenagers talked, but as the pool became crowded with youngsters, Russell and Jordan had to go to work. Collin went up to his bedroom and changed into his swimsuit. Ryan went scrounging around in the extra swimsuits box Mr. Ken kept for times, like that, when someone forgot their swimsuit.
Kyle brought out his new dive toys and he, his twin and their friends had a great time diving for them. The other boys did what they usually did, but today they had five floats that Santa brought them Friday night. The older boys tried to stand on them, but Russell told them they had to stay directly in the middle or he was taking the rafts out of the pool.
Matthew and his friends sat and relaxed on the jumping ledge after they had jumped off a number of times. It was while they sat around the edges of the rock that Matthew asked his friends if they remembered him talking to them about his dream.
When they said they did, he told them there was another item in his dream now. They asked him what it was and he told them it was billiards on a white wall. Matthew then reminded them all of the other parts of his dream. He told them there were the pennies on some clothes, the red and white circle target, the ringing of bells, and now the billiards on a white wall.
The boys talked about what the dream meant, but none of them could come up with an idea or correlation to what they, together, meant. Matthew had hoped one of his friends could help him figure out his dream, but for now, his dream just got more confusing.
Collin and Ryan played mainly with the older boys. The thirteen-year-olds were beginning their growth spurt and some were really getting taller. The one teen that they really noticed was Logan. They'd seen him a time or two before, but now they observed he looked a lot older than his years and was as big as Jordan, the lifeguard, and high school junior.
The boys were getting hungry after skating and now swimming. Robert changed into his street clothes to see when the food would be ready. When the teen found his dad, the man told him he had planned to come down and ask for some help taking it all down to the pool deck.
Robert quickly ran down to the pool and asked his friends to change and help bring the leftovers down there, so they all didn't need to get changed yet. Collin ran to his bedroom to change so he could join the 9 teens as they carried the foods and accessories.
While the older boys went to change and bring the food down, Charles got a few of his friends to help him get the folding tables out and get them set up. He told himself he should have done that before they all got wet, because, even with their shoes on, it was cold outside.
The tables were ready just as Mr. Ken and the young teens brought all the foods down on the wheeled carts. 'Dad' Ken was happy someone had taken the initiative to get the tables out and ready for him. Robert took the lead and had the plates, utensils and napkins set out at the beginning of the serving line.
The tables were set up so there could be two lines. Mr. Ken set out the brisket first, then the barbeque and buns to make sandwiches, the pulled pork and chicken came next and then the ranch-style beans, potato salad and coleslaw. Pickles and rolls were also set out and Mr. Ken made sure to place serving tongs on both sides of the foods, so the boys could easily feed themselves
The hungry boys dug right in. They let Mr. Ken and the four older teens go first. After that, the eleven-year-olds and younger boys went on one side while the twelve-year-olds and teens went on the other. The boys knew not to take too much, so that everyone would have something to eat. They all knew if there was anything remaining they could go back for seconds. They needn't worry as the caterer left almost all of the remaining foods with Mr. Ken.
Many of the boys did go back for seconds. They all loved the brisket, over the pulled pork, as it was so lean. The beans were also a big hit as there were none left when the remaining foods were put away later on.
"Boys ... may I have your attention, please," announced Mr. Ken.
"Let me take this time, while your stomachs are digesting your food, to remind you of our Holiday schedule. Tomorrow, you should all be here no later than 9:45. I need to do a headcount, and I want you all to know that every seat on the bus will be filled, unlike the last time.
"The bus will have a restroom, heat and air conditioning, reclining seats and WiFi for those of you who just have to be connected to the World Wide Web. And boys, I recommend you leave your valuable devices on the bus before getting off. The bus driver will be on the bus the entire time.
"We'll leave here as close to 10 AM as possible. Remember to bring a light jacket, sweater or sweatshirt and a hat if you think you'll need it. It is much cooler at night there and the amusement park is in an old quarry, which will give off its cold as the sun goes down. If you leave your jacket, sweater or sweatshirt on the bus, and want to retrieve it later, you can get a hand stamp that will allow you to leave the park and return. Make sure you take a buddy with you.
"Also, like last time, I will provide you with dinner, but during the day if you want a snack, or a soda, you will need to have some money with you. And my boys, please remind me to give you money this time," smiled 'dad' Ken. That also brought a round of laughter.
"We will all meet in Sangerfest Halle at 5 p.m. They have a wide variety of foods there, so you should find something to feed that empty stomach of yours. I also want to remind you that your chaperones may want to watch some of the Holiday entertainment that will be provided around the park. So, please, ask them what they want to do.
"I understand they will have Park Holiday schedules just inside the turnstiles, so I suggest you all take one, so you all know what is happening throughout the park. Some of you may want to talk to Santa one last time. (That brought a big round of laughter from everyone.)
"Some of the rides may be a bit intense. I say that to warn you, so you don't get on a ride that may not like you. (Lots of laughing.) Just ask Camm. (More laughter.) We'll split up into different groups as we did at SeaWorld. There are 10 chaperones signed up, so it might be just 4 or 5 of you in a group. I would suggest you make it an even number. That way you have a buddy to ride with.
"There are some of the chaperones who may also want to ride the rides. Mr. Dan for one, I am sure. Collin, Ryan and Russell will probably want to ride as well. Nathan and Owen are supposed to catch up with us later in the day, but they told me the other day that Jayden, Ryder and Chase will meet us there at twelve noon, which is when we are scheduled to arrive.
"Please tell your parents that we should be back at The Cove by twelve midnight. Also, tell them, when they come to pick you up, they can park inside the estate.
"When you come to The Cove on Tuesday it will be a regular type of day. On Wednesday we'll have the sleepover. Please bring with you your sleeping bag, a change of clothes, your swimsuit a towel and an appetite. We'll be doing the spaghetti dinner as we did during the summer. I think you all enjoyed that. And, one thing I know you will be happy to hear is we are also doing a Dive-in Movie Wednesday night. (Loud clapping from the boys.)
"The change I want to tell you about is for that Thursday. Originally, I said you could stay until about four, but ... the boys and I will be having a simple Christmas with Momma Maria, Mr. Chris and Mr. Wayne that afternoon. So, you will need to tell your parents your sleepover will be done by twelve noon on Thursday. By the way, this is the first time my 'boys' are hearing of this change.
"Friday, as you all know, is Christmas Day. The boys and I will exchange gifts and then go down to San Antonio for Christmas dinner. When we return, we'll pack for our trip back east to visit my amusement parks. We aren't scheduled to return until Tuesday night. So, Wednesday will be a good day to stopover.
"Thursday is New Year's Eve. If you are over here that day you will have to leave by four. The boys and I will need to relax some, and then get cleaned up and dressed for the last Holiday Party. Last year I invited Eric's class to have fun for the New Year and watch the fireworks. But this year the high school students, and their teachers, who made the Toy Soldiers will be my guests that night.
"The last Holiday get together will be the New Year's Day Swim Party. Not only are you invited, but your entire family will also be invited to attend. And, I do hope your parents will be here. I have a special surprise for you then and your parents need to be here for you to get it.
"Phew, that was a lot to say. The most important stuff is for tomorrow. Does anyone have any questions for me?" finished Mr. Ken.
Not hearing any questions, he asked the boys to help him put everything away. This time Logan stepped up and took the lead. The older teen directed what everyone should do and the boys quickly got it done. Collin and Ryan were amazed at how the small banquet was set up and quickly taken down.
Robert looked at the time and told everyone to change into their street clothes. He reminded them it was a Sunday and he knew his and his 'brothers' friends' parents will be there within an hour, or so, to take their boys home.
Mr. Ken pulled Russell aside to ask him if he was going to meet them at Six Flags or was he going to ride the bus with them. Russell decided to ride the bus now that he knew Collin and Ryan would be on-board. He said he'd like to talk to them about college life. Mr. Ken just smiled at hearing that.
The boys all gathered at the ramps. They just stood around and talked about what Mr. Ken had told them about where their Cover friends would be during the Holidays. Some of the boys were bummed out that, during the whole two weeks of their Christmas vacation, they'd only get to come over about half the time.
Mr. Ken, Collin, Ryan and the rest of the Cover boys met the parents of their friends as they arrived to pick up their sons for the night. The talk at the Main Gate was all about the next day's trip to Six Flags. The parents couldn't thank Mr. Ken enough for treating their boys to their second such adventure.
Some parents still wanted to reimburse the owner of The Cove for taking their child with him tomorrow, but he told them, again, that if he invites them, they go for free. While Mr. Ken had most of the parents there, he told them about the New Year's Day Swim Party for their entire family and that he had a special gift for their boy. He stressed their son couldn't get the present unless the parents were present.
Hearing that mysterious announcement made them all take notice. Most of them made a mental note to put that verbal invitation on their calendar. They also appreciated that they now had somewhere to go on New Year's Day and be around a bunch of people. Mr. Ken did tell them he'd send out an email reminding them about that very special day.
When all their friends and parents had left The Cove, the Covers headed down to the house to talk. After they got there, Robert reminded his dad to get them their Six Flags money before he got too busy to remember. 'Dad' Ken did just that. He gave each boy one ten and two five dollars bills. He explained that he felt it would be safer if people didn't see how much money they had.
Matthew then asked his 'dad' what they should do with their coins. He said he didn't want to lose it while riding any of the rides. Mr. Ken thought about that for a few moments and then told the boys that since they will be together in the bus going and coming from The Cove and in an enclosed area they probably wouldn't need it for the day. He told them to leave their coin on their dresser.
"'Dad', do you think we could go over and drive the Go-Karts?" asked Matthew, with a big hopeful smile on his face.
'Dad' Ken thought about that for just a second, but then realized the security twins weren't with them right then and it wouldn't be wise to leave the estate without them. He told his 'boys' what he was thinking and as soon as Mr. Gene and Mr. George arrived they'd head over to the Go-Kart track. All the boys, including Collin and Ryan, yelled aloud, "Yea!" that they were going to do something fun.
Mr. Ken also told them they'd stay there at Four Corners and eat dinner before coming back home. All the foster boys loved hearing the word 'home' because that was all they now ever knew. Collin also considered The Cove home because that was the last place he felt love and safety.
It took the Warren twins about an hour to arrive at The Cove and as soon as they were up at the Main Gate Mr. Ken loaded all the boys into the new Sprinter van and headed over to Four Corners. Collin and Ryan were surprised at the new van and how well it rode and how big it was.
The eight Covers got into the very short waiting line since it was late in the evening and it was getting much cooler. The boys were glad their 'dad' made them wear their jackets. As they waited, Mr. Wayne arrived.
"Mr. Wayne," called out Matthew, "you came!"
"Yes, I got here as fast as I could," teased the Estate Master, and he picked Matthew up and spun him around.
It was then Mr. Ken told Collin and Ryan about Wayne and introduced them to his new employee and Estate Master. The Cove's owner explained why he hired Wayne Mitchell and what his duties would ultimately be. Mr. Wayne told them he would have his foster parent's license by the first week of January. Everyone congratulated him on that.
When it was their turn, all nine Covers were in the same race. Collin, Ryan, Robert and Charles took the first four karts as they told one another they were going to win. Matthew took the last kart as he didn't want to be in the middle of the race his older 'brothers' were going to have. Mr. Wayne got in the kart next to him. Mr. Gene and Mr. George begged off racing and wanted to watch from outside the fence.
What the boys didn't know was that Mr. Ken told the operator to let them have a longer race than normal. The owner of The Cove also owned the Go-kart Track and he was using his prerogative to ensure the boys had some fun. What was equally fitting was that the three people who filled in the other karts got the same extra time on the track.
As the Green Light was lit, the four front Covers raced out as fast as they could. Robert took the early lead with Collin on his back bumper. Charles and Ryan were racing for the third spot on the track. Kevin and Kyle were racing each other with 'dad' Ken on their back bumpers.
Matthew and Mr. Wayne were just hanging back not wanting to get entangled with any of the others. The three added racers were just going around the track with no real hope of winning the race as they saw the four front-runners fighting it out with one another.
The front-runner changed often as the four Covers bumped their adversary to spin out or go wide and give up their position. Kevin and Kyle had their own race of sorts as they fought for position with each other and 'dad' Ken. Matthew and Mr. Wayne found themselves passing the three other racers and getting into the race with the twins and Mr. Ken.
None of the racers were concerned by how many laps they'd done. They all knew when the Yellow light was lit they had one more lap to go. The front-runners kept at racing like their life depended on it. Kyle even got into fourth place after Ryan spun out and was turned around.
Matthew laughed at Ryan as he passed him because Ryan had to wait for everyone to pass by before pulling out and getting his kart turned around. Ryan would never win the race now as he found himself at the back of the pack.
The three added racers knew something was wrong as they'd been on the course much longer than the ten laps they usually got. They talked across to one another about what was happening, but they said they were going to enjoy the extra lap race as long as they could.
As he passed the Start/Finish, Mr. Ken gave the operator a four-finger signal to tell him that he should give them four more laps. As the owner of the Go-Kart Track slowed down to give his gesture tell the operator there would be four more laps, he lost his position on the race track and the three other racers passed him.
"Hey, did you see that man give the guy who runs the place a four-finger sign?" asked one of the added racers to his friends.
The other two said they had and wondered if the man and the manager had made some sort of deal to make the race much longer. They said they didn't care as it was much more fun to still be out there racing. They forged ahead.
Upfront, Collin, Robert and Charles were still racing hard. They didn't care they were out there a much longer time than usual; they just wanted to win. When the Yellow light was lit the three front-runners put the pedal to the metal. They knew this was going to be their last lap.
Charles was in third and wanted to be first, so he had to do some fancy maneuvering in order to win. He tried to go inside then outside on the turns, but he couldn't get around Robert. He bumped Robert from behind to try to make him move over, but to no avail.
Charles could feel the win if he could only make Robert and Collin spin out. In order to do that, he positioned his front wheels aside Roberts and as they made a turn he tuned into his 'brother' and Robert spun out as planned. Charles then attempted to do it to Collin
Collin heard Robert yelling at Charles for spinning him out. But Collin was ready and when he felt Charles was going to try to spin him out he slammed on the brakes and then immediately hit the gas. Upon doing so, Charles' wheel was caught in front of Collin's rear wheel and they caught one another as Collin sped up.
The result of the wheels collecting one another was that while the top of the wheel was turning down the back was coming up. The same for the second wheel and when the back coming up caught the top coming down they caused the wheels to jump up into the air. That movement caused both drivers to slow their karts in order to regain control.
Kyle saw his opening and he passed both Collin and Charles and took the lead and with only a half of a lap to go, he was going to win. When Kyle raced past the Checkered Flag his smile was ear to ear. He'd finally won a race and he wasn't going to let anyone to forget it.
"Thank you, sir, for fixing it that we had a much longer race," said one of the extra boys to Mr. Ken.
"Yea, we saw you give the manager a signal to give us four more laps. That was a nice long race. Thank you," offered another of the boys.
"'Dad' did you make the man give us a longer race?" asked Matthew.
"Who, me?" smiled Mr. Ken.
"Was that long enough Mr. Ken?" asked the manager, who came over to ask the owner if the race was what he wanted to do.
"You're Mr. Ken? I ... I wasn't sure. I knew you didn't have any kids and here you were with eight. That's why I didn't say anything," said the first boy.
"My 'dad' ... he owns the race track," said a proud Matthew, with a big smile.
At dinner that night Robert asked his dad why he let them have a much longer race. Dad Ken said with there not being many people in line he figured he'd do it that once. He then told the group he told the manager to give the next group an extra five laps, too.
As the Covers arrived back at The Cove the boys thanked Mr. Gene and Mr. George for coming out to protect them as they had some fun and dinner. They told the security twins they'd see them in the morning for the Six Flags trip.
Ryan went home right after the Warren twins and told his friend, Collin, he'd see him at 9:30. The rest of the Covers went inside to talk about the race and what they would do at Six Flags the next day. Eventually, they all got tired and headed off to bed.
Mr. Ken tucked his 'boys' into bed and Collin as well. That night Chief stayed with Collin instead of Matthew. Everyone slept very well that night, as they were all tired from the long and busy day they had.
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